1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to asynchronous communications schemes which allow for automated recipient list management, such as electronic mail (“email”), chat, document conferencing and text messaging systems.
2. Background of the Invention
Chat rooms, news groups and list servers are well-known forms of multi-participant communications. As shown in FIG. 1, the topology (1) of the systems employed for such communications typically includes a computer network (2) such as the Internet, an intranet, a wireless network, or combinations of networks. A Server (3) is usually arranged with access to the computer network (2), and is provided with appropriate chat room application software (8) or email list manager software (9). A moderator or administrator (4) console may be directly connected or incorporated to the Server (3), or may remotely control the Server through the computer network (2).
Through various configuration and permission actions, multiple participants (5, 6, 7) are enabled to communication with each other through the Server (3). Communications are generally one-to-many, in which one participant creates an original message or a reply message, submits it to the Server, and it is disseminated to multiple participants according to permission, rules, and distribution lists. In certain “moderated” groups, the submitted message may require review and approval of the administrator before it is forwarded to the other participants.
This type of communications is primarily asynchronous in nature, but may be more or less “real time”. For example, America Online's Instant Messenger™ product is a variety of such a communication system which allows for “instant” or real time discovery of specially designated participants' (e.g. “buddies”) online status, and real time delivery of messages to them. In other systems, though, a participant may have to initiate a download or update of messages being held for him or her, such as an email list server system.
While traditionally the servers have been highly specialized computing platforms, and the participant devices have been personal computers (“PC”), more recently, smaller and more mobile devices have become capable of interfacing to these communications systems. These include personal digital assistants (“PDA”) with appropriate network interfaces, web-enabled and short messaging service (“SMS”) compatible cellular telephones, pocket PC's, television “set top” devices (e.g. WebTV, DSS satellite receivers, etc.), and two-way paging devices. As more and more devices become “web enabled”, it is reasonable to anticipate a much wider variety of participant devices such as automobile dashboard systems.
Also well-known in the art are common email client devices, such as that shown in FIG. 2. In this arrangement, a device (21) such as a PC, PDA, PCS phone, etc., is interconnected (22) to a computer network (2) such as the Internet, an intranet, a wireless network, or a proprietary network. The interconnection may include use of a physical link such as a dial-up modem, Digital Subscriber Line (“DSL”), cable modem, Ethernet, wireless data link, etc., as well as one or more protocols, such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (“SMTP”), Point-to-Point protocol (“PPP”), etc.
The device (21) typically is equipped with one or more user interface devices such as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch-screen, microphone, speaker, display, etc., and the necessary hardware and firmware to execute messaging software. The hardware usually includes a microprocessor, memory, battery, etc., along with necessary control and embedded firmware. An operating system such as Linux, Microsoft Windows™, Palm Computing's PalmOS™, or similar software is often included to facilitate the addition of application programs to the device.
An email or message software application program (25) such as AOL's Instant Messenger, Lotus Notes, Netscape Navigator, or Microsoft Outlook is provided to author, send, retrieve and read messages such as email, text pager messages, SMS messages, etc.
The email or message program (25) usually has one or more message “boxes (27) where received messages are stored, and an address book (26) where known recipients' information is stored. A user can recall one or more addressees from the address book when authoring a new message, and can easily add entries directly from a received message (e.g. a “return address”) to the address book. Most address books also allow for inclusion of each entry into one or more “lists” or “groups”, such as “family” or “soccer parents”. This common feature allows a user to designate multiple recipients of a message with one selection of a group or list name.
Further, most of these common messaging programs allow a user to automatically address a reply message to the sender, or to address the reply to all of the other recipients of the original message as well as the originator (e.g. a “Reply to All”) function.
Using the “Reply to All” with or without an address book list, a user may create a virtual email list without the need for a list server or moderator, as previously described. This type of ad hoc email list and discussion group formation is very common, and often instigated without intending to start such a group discussion.
For example, consider the following email “flow”. Assume there are a number of participants, where some participants are actively engaged in the conversation by contributing content and information to the flow, while others are carbon copy (“CC”) observers. Some participants may have been initially CC observers when the flow started (e.g. when a new thread or subject is started), while other participants may have been addressed directly at the beginning and have continued participation in the same group, and others have “widened” the group. This type of email flow is well understood as being modeled as a tree with numerous branches.
FIG. 3 illustrates a relatively small, four-member flow, starting with member-A creating a message (31) addressed to members B, C, and D. Member-B can easily author and send a reply message (32) to all the addressees of the original message (e.g. A, C, and D). Assume also that member-D sends a reply (33) to all original addressees, too. This type of a reply to the entire virtual group can be called a “reply to everyone-wide”.
In the next exchange of messages, member-A replies (34) to everyone in response to member-D's reply (33), but member-B only replies (35) back to member-D (e.g. a reply to sender only operation). Member-C, who has previously been an inactive observer, now forwards (36) the reply (33) from member-D to a new member-E, with or without comments.
In another variation of these replies, a user can first select “Reply to Everyone”, which automatically enters all of the recipients of the predecessor message into the “To” field of the reply message.
Using such automatic reply addressing functions, the “tree” of messages can quickly expand to many members and many messages, as has been experienced by almost all users of normal email. Some recipients never reply or forward, while others may reply and forward in response to every message. These characteristics define the extremes of “observer” and “active participant”. Further, a particular participant may change characteristic over time, perhaps initially being an observer and becoming more active several messages into the tree.
As this type of communications arrangement is not controlled or managed by a central server, there are no useful tools for regulating or metering the flow of such messages. Users who wish to create and respond to such messages must rely upon the simple addressing and filtering tools provided by ordinary email programs.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a tool that, subsequent to initiating a flow, assists a user in making intelligent decisions on how to propagate that flow. For instance, a tool which allows a user to easily determine the list of “active” members for any or all branches of the conversation, or to easily determine the list of passive members for any or all branches, etc.
Further, there is a need in the art for this new tool to allow participants in email systems and more generally any messaging based system to operate more efficiently through intelligent prioritization of email inbox contents, coalescence of classes of participants across branches, narrowing addressee lists based on activity levels, and the like.